Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Research Q of the Week: Safety and Snow Cones on Independence Day (7/2)

Question:Our city is hosting the
annual Independence Day parade this weekend. Do you have any tips to help
everyone stay safe (and hopefully happy)?

Answer: Limit your snow cone intake to one per hour! Just
kidding, of course. There is no such thing as too many snow cones.

In all
seriousness, there are some things the city can check on to be sure you are
fully prepared. Here are some ideas:

Check the parade route and adjoining sidewalks, if any, for potholes, cracks or
obstacles. Repairing or marking significant cracks, holes, or uneven surfaces
and making a record of that action may help prevent a slip-and-fall.

Look for other things in the public’s way such as scaffolding in front of a
building that spectators might try to climb.

Look for movable basketball hoops or skateboard ramps in the street that
children might play on or try to move.

Consider your traffic control plan at all phases of the parade route. Determine
where people, floats, and animals gather before the parade (commonly known as
the staging area) and how to deal with the influx of traffic into that area as
people drop off participants.

Separate the units with animals from other parade units—especially horses from
bands and floats. After all, nobody really wants to be behind the horses!

Determine where traffic barriers and street closings are necessary on the
parade route.

Consider if law enforcement or security personnel are required for staffing the
parade route on the day of the event.

A city can also be better protected by have specific parade
rules—like no throwing candy from a moving vehicle. It may be too late to
create new rules for this year, but you can learn more about this in the Parks and Recreation Loss Control Guide, pages 80-81.

Enjoy all the snow cones you can handle this weekend. We
hope you have a safe and fun parade!

This blog post conveys general information. It’s not
legal advice. Please check with your city attorney before acting on this
information.

About Me

The League of Minnesota Cities is a membership organization dedicated to helping cities throughout Minnesota build quality communities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action. The League serves its more than 830 members through advocacy, education and training, policy development, risk management, and other services. For more information, visit www.lmc.org.